Great article! Many citizens of Mich are seeing the gross double talk of the Republicans in this legislature. They seem to really have no concern or respect for the everyday man, woman or child.
This needs to change. Thanks for telling it like it is, Susan!

Loved the speech!!! I was very happy he is sticking to his stance (and that of most of the Am. people) to having a fair and equitable tax system for ALL Americans. Amen! Common sense 101!! You've got my vote, Mr .Pres.

Thank you Jim for explaining the obvious. If the two politicians you named in your article cannot bring themselves to have a broader, more intelligent view of our national situation and learn from history,
then they need to be voted out. They are a detriment to the growth and well-being of our country.

Dave Murray needs to read this and think, deeply, about it. I would like to see it printed in the Grand Rapids Press with an endorsement by the editor.........but, I think it is too forward thinking for his tastes.

Why is the author of this article so partial to Republicans?? It's all about Republicans and they are the ones in the state legislature who have refused to allow public input or even consider the Democratic suggestions. Please, try to be less partisan in your writing.

I disagree with your overall assessment of this recent move by the legislature/gov. It is an obvious divide and conquer technique the prime players have recently used to move their lopsided agenda forward. Let's hold money for the good of the young in our state hostage--- until the negotiated contracts no longer have to be honored. Let's make the teachers pay for the "extra" money by taking on 20% or more of their health benefits. This is yet another mean-spirited attempt to get what the Gov. wants. Just like pitting the older people on pensions against those future retires. If a person is born before a certain date- no matter how much he/she makes- they pay no tax. Come on Mr. Luke- you can show more insights into what is really going on. Disgraceful to all concerned.

Important note-- it is NOT the seniors themselves who are proposing these cuts. It is the politicians.
They need to generate more income, use more vision and forethought with the status quo and not
immediately go to cut, cut, cut. Any moron can come up with that type of a plan .

Yes- reinvent--- sounds really good on paper. But, the reality is- schools NEED money to do the important job of educating our young. Is anyone telling the military or Dept. of Defense to reinvent to save money. Generating more money/revenue with more visionary ideas will help schools the most.
Tax beer and wine. New taxes have not be added to alcohol since the 1960's. Reinvent the tax structure. I'm sure those who work in the legislature would have much more insight into how to generate more revenue if they sat down and really- I mean REALLY - put their minds to it.

Great article! Right to the point. Also- I really, really don't understand why the Gov. does not look into taxing the sale of beer and wine, plus golf, skiing, etc. fees. If he feel he must tax someone. That is a much better option and much more fair than his proposal. I just rented a car recently and paid $50 just in fees.
I keep reading that the Gov. is a CPA. Well- being a Gov. is much more than balancing the books. His decisions affect the welfare of a whole lot of people. So, he needs to truly listen to his constituents and think about the impacts of his decisions. Reread the job description, Gov.

Thank you Kym for being persistent and following up with more pertinent information on this issue. I especially like the statement the MDE spokesperson made criticizing the school district for deliberately trying to mislead the public with insufficient/inaccurate information on the grant deadline. This has been all too typical of GRPS. Also, Carolyn Evans statment that the blended instruction venture has been made more difficult by the large number of retirees. She and the other leaders at GRPS were well aware that an incentive was being worked on in the legislature. They should have waited at least a year to move on that "experiment". It's frustrating to see these highly paid administrators make rushed, poor decisions on a continuing basis and not be called on it.
Egos that are too big, and a boss- Bernard Taylor- whose mode of operation is "my way or the highway" is a major road block to higher student achievement. The students, teachers and parents of GR deserve more ethical, intelligent, enlightened leaders.

Well of course the Grand Rapids Press endorses these candidates. They are Republicans. The Press always endorses Republicans. I relocated to GR 3 years ago and have been appalled at the editorials and one-sided, lopsided views of the Press. One would think in this day and age this type of
bias would be more challenged by those who read the paper. This type of one-sided "reporting" is a disservice to the community.

Thank you Dave Murray for saying it like it is- good insight and hindsight.
I think we need more revenue sources. No new taxes makes no sense.
I am a tax paying citizen who does not mind paying taxes to make my/our community/state better. That is what they are for- when used appropriately by those elected to do so. (Therein lies the dilemma)
I agree with taxing bottled water and some other consumable product of choice- such as beer ........and those revenues go right to the school
budget coffers. (BTW-What happened to the lottery money?)
I also agree with the need to reexamine who gets the money and how it is spent. How much is going to the ISD's. How is that money being used?? Don't these organizations have big budgets and sit on large "rainy day" funds? Yes, reform is overdue. I hope this group can
generate fresh discussions with all options on the table.

I totally agree with the above comments by GRTeacher- because they are true. Then why weren't
they mentioned in this current Editorial??? This opinion by the GR Press editors is so one-sided,it's a wonder. The union's elected officials do not make up problems just to embarass the BOE. These are real issues and should not be trivialized by the Press. The well being of students and staff is at stake here. Get a grip - Mr. Editor and upgrade your opinions to be free of petty untruths. You have a responsibility to this community to report and write opinions on all of the facts.